When Fate Strikes Back
by Passions-fan
Summary: Gwen has moved to New York. Ethan could propose to Theresa any day. But then a mysterious dark-haired beauty arrives in Harmony & rocks their world. A possible Therox ending...
1. Chapter 1

NB: I'm changing things around, so it's NOT going to be like it is on the show. In my story, Gwen is NOT pregnant and she and Ethan never got back together. Ethan has remained with Theresa and their relationship is steady, or rather just like Ethan and Gwen's was before Theresa entered their lives. Gwen has moved to New York because she got a wonderful job there. Theresa has been given legal custody of the Crane mansion by Alistair and she and Ethan live there. Ivy, Julian and Rebecca live there also, but they are under orders from Alistair to work for Theresa and cater to her every whim so they constantly have to put up with Theresa bossing them around. So here it all begins:  
  
Chapter 1  
  
"Ethan! Ethan! A carnival is coming into Harmony! The same one we first met at! Oh Ethan we just HAVE to go!" gushed Theresa as Ethan arrived home from his office. He was really tired and in no mood for one of Theresa's theatrics that were always one "no" away so he said, "sure Theresa whatever you say". "Ooh I'm so EXCITED!! I can't BELIEVE you and I are going to the same carnival at which we met exactly three years ago! Only this time, we're going TOGETHER as a COUPLE!" she prattled on. Ethan winced - her whiny voice really distressed his cochlear. It really did seem interesting to him that the same carnival was arriving in Harmony on the EXACT same date as which Theresa had splattered him with paint for the very first time. He wondered what Theresa's "fate" had in store for him there this time.  
  
AT THE CARNIVAL:  
  
"Ethan I'm going over to check out all the mascaras they have here - after all, a girl can never have enough mascara!" said Theresa, and she walked off in the opposite direction as Ethan shrugged and kept walking. As he walked past a stall selling flowers, he began to think about how much this place reminded him of the first time he had been there because it was still exactly the same. With that also came memories of the woman who had been there with him then - his first love, Gwen Hotchkiss. It seemed like only a short time ago when he had dropped to one knee and proposed to her right here.  
  
He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't see the young woman who was walking towards the huge swaying basket of short-stemmed roses hanging down to Ethan's shoulders while looking back to wave to someone. He didn't see her crash past the basket and straight into him. He suddenly felt a great big thwack against his shoulder blade as the gigantic basket made contact with his shoulder and as he stumbled from the contact with the woman and all the roses came tumbling down upon him as both he and the woman dropped to the ground. He was about to begin a tirade directed at her when he happened to look into her eyes. He was immediately lost in those mesmerising pools of hazelly-brown. They just looked so familiar.  
  
The startled woman however, got up immediately and apologised, dusting off her flared jeans and mid-riff baring top, "Oh, I'm so sorry! It's just that I just ran into this friend of mine after SO long and I was so busy waving to him that I - "  
  
"It's okay" Ethan interrupted.  
  
"Well, I better be off then!" said the woman as she walked off. Ethan watched her receding back with waist-length chestnut brown hair cascading down it in layered waves. Ethan was dazzled. She was beautiful. He had never seen her in Harmony before so he figured she must be just visiting. He shook his head to clear his thoughts as he realised he had forgotten to ask her name.  
  
"Who was that?" Ethan heard Theresa's voice demand when he turned to head back, "some girl I bumped into" Ethan replied. Theresa said, "Oh okay. Hey guess what? I saw a fortune teller around here somewhere! We have to go see!"  
  
"Theresa - " began Ethan. "Oh come ON Ethan! Don't be such a poop!" said Theresa. Ethan rolled his eyes and agreed to go and see the fortune teller with her.  
  
IN THE FORTUNE TELLER'S TENT:  
  
"Oh NO! That can't BE!!! Are you sure?" Theresa was agitated to hear what the fortune teller had to say, "The crystal never lies," replied Madame Andreika, "Another woman will steal the heart of the young man you love! You shall never marry him!"  
  
"I don't believe you," said Theresa. Madame Andreika shrugged, "you can have a look in my crystal if you want" she offered. Theresa went over to have a look and saw Ethan hugging and kissing a blonde woman whose face was blurred, "Oh no! It's GWEN!" she thought, "I mean she has to be Gwen right? Who else has ever been interested in having Ethan other than me or Gwen?" She looked on. Ethan was telling the woman that he loved her more than anyone else in the world and then to Theresa's ultimate shock horror, Ethan asked the woman to marry him! Not waiting to hear any more, Theresa rushed out of the tent, thinking fast, "This can't be! It just can't! Ethan and I are meant to be together! It's fate!"  
  
Ethan joined Theresa outside shortly and she told him she was sure the woman was Gwen as Ethan began to assure her he would never fall in love with another woman, besides the fact that Gwen was all the way in New York. "But there's no other blonde in your life Ethan!" Theresa insisted. "I've got to think fast. I've got to get Ethan to marry me before anybody else can get their hooks into him!" She decided she would drop a hint to Ethan that he should propose to her right there and then. She had to convince him it was the perfect setting since it was where they had first met.  
  
She dropped hints to Ethan all day, but he didn't catch her drift. His mind was preoccupied with thoughts about the beautiful girl he'd bumped into earlier. "You know Ethan I'm starting to feel really insecure now" said Theresa, deciding to aim directly at the crux of the matter, "you know, about some girl stealing you away". Ethan sighed, "you shouldn't believe a fortune teller you know?" Theresa persisted, "But I saw it with my own eyes! You were professing your love to that blonde! And the most disturbing part was the marriage proposal. I mean to think Ethan - a marriage proposal from you is everything I've ever dreamed of! I can still remember how I felt the first time you ever proposed to me. And now - you're going to propose to someone else!"  
  
"Theresa, I'm not going to propose to someone else!"  
  
"Well since you haven't proposed to me yet, it may well happen!" she whined, "somebody else could come along and steal you away just like that! Ethan I need proof of your commitment to me!"  
  
"Theresa - "  
  
"Ethan no. No more trying to convince me that you will remain true to me. I need proof"  
  
"Okay, I'll prove it to you then. Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald, will you marry me?"  
  
Theresa gasped and pretended like she hadn't genuinely expected this, "Oh Ethan! Oh of course I'll marry you! Yes! You know how much I want to become your wife!"  
  
Alarm bells went off in Ethan's head as he realised what he had done. He wasn't ready for marriage yet! They had both agreed after all that this time they were going to wait until he had secured his position with the new law firm he had recently joined - he was still on his three-month trial period. He didn't want to be dependant on Theresa and Crane money all his life. But it was too late. Theresa had forced him into a proposal and then she had accepted that proposal... 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Passions or its characters... if I did Edumb would treat Gwen WAY better! And There-bitcha would be killed off the show!  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 2  
  
A FEW WEEKS LATER:  
  
Theresa had an announcement to make to Ethan, "well, since mama is going to see Paloma again, there's nobody to look after our home so I'm sending Ivy and Rebecca to look after it. Julian's going to be busy at the office so there's no one to take care of us here. So I've hired us a new housekeeper! Her name is Mrs Penelope Lane Fraser and she has a daughter who is around our age and who recently got a waitressing job at the Lobster Shack. Her name is Terri. I'm making Penny permanent". Ethan was relieved that there was going to be a housekeeper to share the workload with his mother once Pilar returned since he knew Rebecca was never much of a help and would always evade doing work if she could.  
  
Theresa then suggested that they go to the Lobster Shack to celebrate their engagement with their friends who felt more comfortable eating there than at the Seascape or other expensive restaurants, "and I'll introduce you to Terri" she said.  
  
AT THE LOBSTER SHACK:  
  
She took Ethan's breath away for the second time. Ethan couldn't tear his eyes away from the girl who had crashed into him at the carnival. He couldn't believe she was staying right here in Harmony. She was dressed in a waitress' outfit and was busily carrying a tray around. He shook his head again, "what are you doing Ethan? You love Gwen I mean Theresa! You can't make eyes at the waitress!" He then wondered why he had thought Gwen's name before Theresa's.  
  
He pondered this over the entrée as Theresa's voice cut in to bring him back from his thoughts, "Ethan? Ethan!" Ethan snapped back to his surroundings. "Ethan, I was trying to introduce you you to Terri here" said Theresa. Ethan looked up and saw that very same girl standing at their table, smiling at everyone, "Oh Ethan and I bumped into each other at the carnival!" she was saying, "Of course we hadn't been introduced then". Theresa didn't like the way Ethan was staring at Terri. She had also noticed that Terri looked oddly familiar but Theresa couldn't quite place where she'd seen Terri before. "Uh Terri, I was wondering if you could ask one of the other waitresses to come over? I'm just about ready to order!" Theresa said.  
  
"Oh I can take your order" said Terri.  
  
"Oh but I wouldn't feel comfortable - I mean your mama's working for us and all. I'd feel bad making you do anything for me too!"  
  
"Oh Theresa, it's really no problem but okay, if you would be more comfortable with someone else, I'll go get Susanne. I'll also be getting back to the other customers then. See you guys around!" She took off.  
  
On the way back, Ethan found himself secretly being glad that this girl turned out to be Terri. Now he could probably see her more often. Then he chided himself for his thoughts, "Ethan! You shouldn't think like that! You're engaged to Theresa now!" He had a sudden, vivid flashback to when Theresa had first entered his life and how guilty he always felt whenever he found himself thinking about Theresa even thought he kept insisting to himself that he loved only Gwen. Even when he had proposed to Gwen and become engaged to her, he had constantly thought about Theresa. Then came all those times they spent so closely together, then the kisses, then.... then he found himself calling off his wedding to Gwen. Ethan made a strong resolve. He would never let anything like that happen to him and Theresa. Of course, when he had first fallen for Theresa, he hadn't been given a choice.... 


End file.
